I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

Recipe: How to Make Quinoa Salad

I must admit I never knew what to do with Quinoa until now. About a year and a half ago I bought bag at Costco for around $10. Tried it once plain, zipped the bag shut, and stuffed it in the back of the pantry. I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand why my neighbors were suddenly buying it and going on and on about it. It didn’t taste like anything.

But now I get it.

You have to add other ingredients to it and then poof, magic happens.

Let me just say this, the next time you have to go to a pot luck, bring this. The next time you want your husband to buy you a pair of Ugg boots because you accidentally tore a hole in yours with a shovel {we won’t even go into the part about you shouldn’t be wearing Uggs in the garden anyway}, make this.

The next time you want to eat, make this.

Because Quinoa Salad will make you {and everyone else around you} happy.

Comments

Love, Love, Love Quinoa! I usually just boil it with black pepper and a bouillon cube and call it good. This recipe is much better :). I too bought my Quinoa from Costco at 1st but found that buying it in bulk at Freddy’s or Winco is much cheaper. Thanks once again for a great recipe.

I combine cilantro, tomatoes, spinich and green onion with quinoa, and then add some lemon juice. It is my lunch at least 3 times a week, and I don’t get sick of it. It is packed with protein so I don’t want to snack after lunch. It is my new crack 🙂

I have some quinoa lurking in my pantry, but I never know what to do with it. This looks super yummy!! Definitely giving it a try!

On another note, I subscribe to your daily email updates but haven’t been getting them for the past few days…I know I’m signed up because I thought I would re-enter my email addy and it said I was signed up already. Any ideas?

Recently discovered quinoa myself! If you like cilantro, add it to the mix…yum! What I like about quinoa, besides the fact that it is a whole protein all by itself and is fun to say, is that you can eat it cold or hot. It’s good either way.

Am I the only one who has had problems with quinoa in the rice cooker??? I made some wild rice & quinoa mix (from Costco!) in the rice maker one time, & that was a “bleep!” to clean up!!! Is there a trick to it??
I just made Alison Sweeney’s recipe from “SELF” magazine & absolutely LOVED it! I just added zucchini for a little bit of crunch. 🙂 But now seeing cilantro suggestions, I think i will be throwing that in there too. But this one looks incredibly yummy too!!! Next on my list!!!

Hi,
This recipe looks delicious. I love quinoa and recipes so delicious that the kids won’t notice the veggies and pick them out. 🙂

Anyway, I’ve never cooked quinoa in a rice cooker (i always use a pot on the stove). Can I cook the quinoa w/o the rice cooker? If not, how llong does it take quinoa to cook in a rice cooker? Is it the same amount of time as rice? Thanks!

If you do not have a rice cooker, simply add the grains and broth in a saucepan, bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook covered until the liquid has been absorbed and grains are tender {about 20 minutes}.

Yes, it takes the same about of time in a rice cooker as does regular rice. 🙂

Mavis, I found your receipt a few weeks ago, yesterday a found the actual product “Quinoa”, can’t wait to cook it, try it, and enjoy it, I’m trying to have my immediate family switch from pasta to this (they are not big rice eaters either). Hopefully I can try a simple side dish to a main dish in the future. Thank you in advance.